Telstra Pauses LEOsat Rollout Due to Insufficient Satellites
Telstra has stopped migrating its remote small cell mobile base stations onto low earth orbit satellites backhaul until its constellation provider, Eutelsat OneWeb, can get more craft into service.
Rollout Pause
A spokesperson for Telstra confirmed that the carrier had paused the rollout when asked about comments by Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady at the carrier’s half-year results presentation late last week.
Brady said, «We have rolled out, using the OneWeb LEO satellite constellation, backhaul over their satellites to some of our remote sites [but] their rollout of their satellite constellation hasn’t gone as planned on their side.
«It does mean today there are some issues particularly impacting voice. However, in terms of data performance, we have seen significant improvements by being able to access that LEO satellite service.
Meanwhile, Telstra operates around 200 small cell mobile base stations serving remote communities around Australia.
Impact on Remote Communities
The number of remote Telstra mobile service outages deemed to have a significant community impact has risen sharply since 2024 – about the time when Telstra started moving the sites from geostationary backhaul to OneWeb’s LEO service.
Additionally, the number of mobile tower outages causing «significant community impact», increased from 3614 in 2024 to 5221 in 2025.
However, Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR), a community group that advocates for telco users in the bush, told iTnews that Telstra was understating the impact of the outages, especially on voice calls.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Telstra has paused the rollout of its LEOsat service due to insufficient satellites. However, the company has seen significant improvements in data performance.
Therefore, it is essential for Telstra to find a balance between the benefits of the LEOsat service and the impact on remote communities.
Finally, we can expect to see more developments in this area as Telstra works with Eutelsat OneWeb to expand its satellite constellation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the current status of Telstra’s LEOsat rollout?
Telstra has paused the rollout due to insufficient satellites.
- How many remote small cell mobile base stations does Telstra operate?
Telstra operates around 200 small cell mobile base stations serving remote communities around Australia.
- What is the impact of the LEOsat rollout on remote communities?
The number of remote Telstra mobile service outages deemed to have a significant community impact has risen sharply since 2024.
- What is the expected outcome of the paused rollout?
Telstra expects to see more developments in this area as it works with Eutelsat OneWeb to expand its satellite constellation.
- What is the focus keyword for this article?
The focus keyword is LEOsat.
